ACCESSIBLE HEALTH CARE STATEWIDE.

>> Eric: WELCOME TO "ALMANAC."

ON TONIGHT'S SHOW IT IS COMMITTEE DEADLINE WEEK AT THE LEGISLATURE AND WE'LL TALK WITH KEY COMMITTEE CHAIRS TO SEE WHERE THINGS STAND AS LAWMAKERS BRING THEIR ANNUAL SPRING BREAK.

MARY LAHAMMER WILL ROUND UP THE REST OF THE ACTION, WE'LL HAVE A PANEL AT THE END OF THE HOUR, AND IN BETWEEN, WE HAVE A DAVID GILLETTE VIDEO ESSAY AND WE'LL KEEP AN EYE ON THE GOPHER WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM WITH THEIR SWEET 16 GAME IN LOG, LIVE FRIDAY NIGHT.

>> Cathy: THAT'S A LOTTA SHOW.

WE'RE GOING TO START TONIGHT THOUGH WITH NEWS OUT OF THE NATION'S CAPITOL.

IN THE WEEKS-LONG PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN THAT HAS CREATED LOANS LINES AT AIRPORTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

EARLY FRIDAY MORNING, THE U.S.

SENATE PASSED A COMPROMISE BILL THAT WOULD FUND TSA BUT NOT I.C.E.

OR BORDER PATROL.

AND THEN LEFT D.C.

FOR A TWO-WEEK BREAK.

ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON, HOUSE REPUBLICANS REJECTED THAT PLAN.

WITH CONGRESS AT AN IMPASSE, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS GONE AROUND THEM AND ISSUED AN EXECUTIV ORDER TO PY PAY TSA WORKERS.

THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY SAYS PAYCHECKS COULD BE ISSUED AS SOON AS MONDAY.

KYLE POTTER IS WITH THRIFTY TRAVELER, ONLINE TRAVEL NEWS SITE.

>> THE OVERLAP OF POLITICS AND TRAVEL IS JUST ENDLESS.

>> Cathy: BEAUTIFUL, ISN'T IT?

>> I THOUGHT I WAS GETTING OUT OF THAT.

>> IT JUST DRAGS ME BACK IN.

>> Cathy: NO!

WELL, WELCOME BACK TO "ALMANAC."

I'M ASSUMING THIS EXECUTIVE ORDER WON'T MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IMMEDIATELY.

>> I DON'T THINK SO BECAUSE WHILE PAYCHECKS WILL START TO GO OUT AS SOON AS MONDAY, IT WILL TAKE 7 TO 10 DAYS, ALL 50,000 AGENTS TO GET THEIR PAYCHECKS.

I WOULD EXPECT AT THE VERY LEAST AT THE AIRPORTS THAT HAVE HAD REALLY BAD PROBLEMS, HOUSTON, ATLANTA, NEW YORK AREA, INCREASINGLY BALTIMORE IT'S GOING TO BE DAYS IF NOT A WEEK OR MORE PROBLEMS UNTIL EVERYTHING GETS SMOOTH AS NORMAL.

>> Eric: WHY HAS MSP ESCAPED SOME OF THE WORST?

>> I HAVE TO THINK IT'S SOME OF THE REGIONALTY OF THE WORKFORCE AND PEOPLE WHO WORK IN MINNEAPOLIS APPARENTLY FEEL DIFFERENTLY ABOUT THEIR JOBS AND THE AIRPORT THEY WORK FOR THAN DO THE FOLKS IN HOUSTON OR ATLANTA.

MINNEAPOLIS IS WIDELY REGARDED AS ONE OF IF NOT THE BEST AIRPORT IN THE COUNTRY.

AND THAT CLAUSE THE TSA WORKFORCE.

NOT THE MOST POPULAR WORKFORCE IN THE WORLD DURING NORMAL TIMES BUT RIGHT NOW IT SEEMS TO BE PAYING OFF.

>> Cathy: GOOD FRIEND OF MINE ASKED, WELL, WHERE'S THE TSA UNION IN ALL OF THIS?

THEY ARE UNIONIZED, RIGHT?

>> THEY ARE UNIONIZED AND THEY HAVE BEEN LOUD BUT MAYBE JUST DROWNED OUT BY THE NEGATIVE HEADLINES IN THE NEWS.

THEY HAVE BEEN SAYING AGAIN AND AGAIN OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS, OUR PEOPLE ARE AT A BREAKING POINT, THEY HAVE SAID THE T SA ITSELF HAS SAID THAT OVER 500 WORKERS HAVE QUIT THE WORKFORCE JUST WITHIN THE LAST FIVE OR SIX WEEKS, WHICH IS LAYERED ON TOP OF THE SHUTDOWN, NOT FIVE MONTHS AGO IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER WHEN A FEW HUNDRED ALSO QUIT THE WORKFORCE.

SO MY ONCERN IS ALMOST LESS ABOUT WHEN THIS GETS MOVING MORE SMOOTHLY IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS HOPEFULLY, IN THE NEXT WEEK AND CHANGE PROBABLY, BUT MORE ABOUT WHAT KIND OF SHAPE THIS WORKFORCE IS GOING TO BE IN WHEN IT'S GOING TO BE SO HARD FOR THEM TO HIRE REPLACEMENTS TO KEEP LINES MOVING NOT JUST THIS MONTH BUT YEARS FROM NOW.

I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THAT.

>> Eric: AVIATION FUEL MUST BE GOING UP IN PRICE.

WHAT IMPACT DOES THAT HAVE ON TICKETS?

>> ALREADY WE'RE SEEING SOME INCREASES.

PRICE OF JET FUEL THIS MORNING WAS UP ON AVERAGE 75%.

THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT ALL TICKETS ARE 75% MORE THAN THEY WERE.

AIRFARE IS NOT A MONOLITH, IT'S MILLIONS OF FARES AND SOME ARE GOING UP, SOME ALREADY HAVE GONE UP.

SOME ARE STAYING THE SAME, SOME ARE STILL GOING DOWN BUT ON AVERAGE I WOULD EXPECT TO PAY MORE WHICH MEANS FOR ME PERSONALLY I'VE BOOKED ALL OF MY UPCOMING FLIGHTS FOR SPRING AND SUMMER ALREADY BECAUSE THE ODDS THOSE FARES ARE GOING UP IN THE WEEKS AHEAD ARE HIGHER MAYBE THAN THEY'VE BEEN IN A LONG TIME.

>> Cathy: OKAY, SO WITH THE HIGHER TICKETS COSTS AND TSA DELAYS WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT GET BETTER, IT'S KIND OF NASTY TO FLY ANYWAY AT TIMES.

I WONDER ABOUT THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS FOR THE AVIATION INDUSTRY WITH ALL OF THIS.

>> I DO TOO.

I'M WORRIED ABOUT WHAT THIS DOES TO THE PSYCHE OF THE AVERAGE AMERICAN WHO DREADS GOING TO THE AIRPORT TO BEGIN WITH, AND SAYS YOU KNOW WHAT, IF IT'S A SIX-HOUR DRIVE OR AN HOUR AND A HALF FLIGHT I'M HOPPING IN THE CAR.

AND AGAIN PRICES AT THE PUMP, NOT SO GREAT EITHER.

SO I DON'T KNOW, MY HOPE IS, GENERALLY SPEAKING NOT A VERY OPTIMISTIC PERSON, MY HOPE IS WE CAN PUT THIS BEHIND US, PEOPLE GET BACK OUT THERE, THEY TAKE THE TRIPS THEY WANT TO TAKE BUT THIS PROBABLY WILL HAVE SOME KIND OF EFFECT ON TRAVEL DEMAND AS A WHOLE.

>> Eric: THRIFTY TRAVELER AS YOU COMMUNICATE ITH YOUR SUBSCRIBERS WHAT ARE YOU TELLING THEM?

>> I'M TELLING THEM BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS NOW, WAIT FOR THE DEAL, USE TOOLS LIKE GOOGLE FLIGHTS EXPLORE OR THE TIPS WE GIVE ON OUR PODCAST TO FIND A GREAT DEAL AND BOOK IT SOONER RATHER THAN LATER BECAUSE ODDS ARE THINGS ARE GOING TO LOOK A LITTLE BIT WORSE AT LEAST ON PRICE FRONT IN THE WEEKS TO COME.

>> Cathy: THIS MIGHT SEEM LIKE A STRANGE QUESTION TO END OUR CONVERSATION ON, BUT GIVEN ALL THE TURMOIL OR TURBULENCE, MAYBE A TERM YOU USE IN THE INDUSTRY, COULD THIS LEAD TO BUSINESS CONTRACTING OR, ANY OF THAT ON THE HORIZON AT ALL?

IS >> NO QUESTION, I THINK WE WERE HEADING THAT LONG BEFORE EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENED IN THE LAST MONTH OR SO.

ESPECIALLY ON THE LOWER COST END OF THE INDUSTRY LIKE SPIRIT AND FRONTIER, THOSE TWO AIRLINES ARE REALLY STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE RIGHT NOW.

AND MAYBE YOU'RE SAYING AT HOME, I DON'T CARE ABOUT SPIRIT, I'M NEVER GOING TO FLY THAT AIRLINE.

YOU REALLY NEED THAT AIRLINE TO SURVIVE IN SOME FORM BECAUSE BY VIRTUE OF THEM FLYING THEY PREVIOUSLY DID FROM MINNEAPOLIS TO ATLANTA OR MINNEAPOLIS TO DETROIT THAT FORCED DELTA TO LOWER FARES TO COMPETE SO THEY DON'T LOSE ALL OF THEIR MANAGERS TO THAT LOWER FARE.

SPIRIT LEFT THE MARKET IN MINNEAPOLIS JUST A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, AND I KID YOU NOT, BASICALLY OVERNIGHT FARES SHOT UP FROM SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 249 ONE WAY FLYING DELTA TO 469 OR SO.

THAT IS HOW IMPORTANT THAT COMPETITION IS.

>> YIKES.

>> AND WE'RE GOING SEE MORE OF THAT IN